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Toby Keith — Hope on the Rocks

For many years, on my late, lamented Colorado-based radio show, Damaged Hearing, whenever I felt like especially annoying the decidedly unpatriotic community-radio audience, I would sing along, loud and proud, to Oklahoma-born Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” Of course, the more I would sing along to the song, the more I […]

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Graham crackin’

Life on a major record label was full of high highs and low lows for Oklahoma City singer-songwriter Graham Colton. Forging his own path as an independent artist the past few years has proven to be more his speed. “To be honest, it’s equally liberating and terrifying. When you have a success, there’s nothing like […]

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Tusk’s task

Photo: Geoff L. Johnson Savannah, Ga., has proven to be something of a breeding ground for metal bands, giving rise to Kylesa, Baroness, Black Tusk and others in the past decade or so. You might think something is in the water. It’s actually in the air. “It’s just hot — really, really hot,” guitarist Andrew […]

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Happy Record Store Day Black Friday!

But they, too, can participate in the nation’s annual orgy of mass consumerism by heading to their local indie record store Friday for extremely exclusive musical goodies that will probably go for three times as much on eBay the next day. An offshoot of the popular Record Store Day event, this Black Friday addendum includes […]

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Felt up

Rock bands and puppets: two peas in a pod, right? Sure, these art forms might seem contradictory on the surface. But on Friday at Opolis, the spectacle of Quintron and Miss Pussycat — half puppet show, half concert — will take this notion and obliterate it. The New Orleans-based husband and wife bear a unique […]

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Times bold

Photo: Doug Schwarz It doesn’t take more than a minute or so into Defining Times’ new record, Separate Tongues, to sense the intimacy, closeness and trust the Oklahoma City alternative band members must feel for one another. You’d think they’d been playing for a decade, not a year and a half. “It’s a brotherhood,” front […]

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Future’s so bright

Imagine for a moment that you’re perched atop a pristine body of water. As you gaze downward, ripples contort the natural world, and all of your tangible surroundings seem strangely elusive and engulfed in fantasy. The other side of that reflection? The world in which Future Islands live. Appearing tonight at Opolis, the Baltimore trio […]

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Perfect situation

Haters will hate, but of bands established in the 1990s, Weezer remains one of the most recognizable due to its sound: wailing guitar solos, harmonies owing as much to The Beach Boys as punk rock, and lyrics dripping with all the nostalgia and self-obsession teenagers could possibly muster. If fans, however, would rather not drop […]

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Ghost of a chance

Photo: Krista Spears Most parents aren’t thrilled about their kids playing in punk bands. The mother of Corporate Ghost drummer Max Harris, however, has fostered the entire underground scene by giving fledgling punk and garage rock bands a place to call home while honing their skill. “It’s provided a place for the punk and underground […]

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All that jazz

Ask local jazz enthusiasts about vocalist Michael Summers, and they may refer to him as the “Michael Bublé of the 405.” This, however, is news to Summers. “You know what? I’m not offended,” Summers said. “He’s a great singer, for sure. I’ll take it!” While pleased with the comparison, he’s quick to note that he’s […]

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